Dragon's Breath
by Kenshinin
Summary: "To those he meets, he is naught but death. But his journey will end on the dragon's last breath." A prophet speaks of an epic battle that will engulf Gunsmoke in a wrath of fury...
1. Prologue and Excess Casualties

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (No, I don't own Trigun, or anything about it, but anybody or thing I create is MINE!)  
  
A/N: My first serious and seriously long fiction. I've been writing this in my head for a while, and reading Engel: Sacrifice helped me. So, here it goes. First, though, I should give you a little prolouge along with the first chapter, so here I go!  
  
Prolouge: The End... Or the Beginning?  
  
It's been one year since Vash the Stampede stopped his manical brother, Knives Million, from ending anyone else's lives. He did leave his last words as following his own ideals, while still keeping Rem in mind. Soon after, he left. Meryl and Millie found Knives waiting for them, and he began to question them about his brother. They had no idea where he went, and the next day, Knives was gone. Both girls quit the insurance company - Meryl went to look for Vash and Knives, and Millie went to the church to become a priest, in memory of her fallen love, Wolfwood.  
  
Since then, it's been a living hell. The Bad Lads, who were once before under the charge of BDN (who was murdered by a unknown assassin), began to gain more power after Vash's last fight. Soon, their ambitions turned from robberies and drunken parties to real business - taking over or otherwise blowing up towns. Everyone living, glad for a few days that the Humanoid Typhoon had finally passed, were thrown into fresh leaps of terror as the Bad Lads, now called the Grog Mob, began to put up a reign of terror over the planet of Gunsmoke.  
  
But all was not lost. Millie, who was learning about this increasing pang of terror through her teachers, decided that she was going to stop the Grog Mob's reign of terror. She began to search out the best gunmen and gunwomen in hopes of stopping this terrible madness. Her search led her back to Meryl, since they were both now seeking the same person - Vash. Without him, the resistance would surely fall under the Grog Mob's power. But Millie had an idea - if she could somehow alert the people of Gunsmoke to resist without letting the Grog Mob know what she was doing, there was a chance that the people could hold off the Grog Mob until Vash the Stampede turned up.  
  
Trouble is, Vash the Stampede could be anywhere... doing anything... So how does anyone plan to find a needle in a haystack?  
  
Simple - use a horse.  
  
Chapter: Excess Casualties  
  
"How about the newspaper?"  
  
"No. The Grog Mob has control of the paper companies."  
  
Meryl and Millie were sitting in a quiet little saloon in Augusta, thinking about how to get the word out to resist, because Vash the Stampede was returning! Of course, the two of them were both at loss as to how their plans could work. Millie was coming up with some excellent ideas, but none of them would work - not while the Grog Mob was out.  
  
"Well, Meryl, how can we do this quickly? We have to make people resist the Grog Mob or we'll never buy enough time to hunt out Vash."  
  
Meryl sighed deeply into her cup. She knew Millie was right, but there was just no way of doing this properly - not without anyone related to the Grog Mob finding out. She sighed again, and her reflection wavered inside her cup. At this, a mysterious man sitting in the corner dressed in nothing but black immediatly left the saloon.  
  
"I just... don't know anymore, Millie. I've run out of ideas altogether."  
  
Just then, there was a commotion outside. A few men wearing shirts containing a beer bottle and a red line pointing straight inside the bottle were outside, poking at the man who had just left the saloon. They were apparently trying to get him to tell them something. Everyone turned their heads to watch. The men turned their attention from the man to the audience.  
  
"What the hell are you people looking at?? Damn!"  
  
At that, they opened fire. The bartender, Meryl, and Millie all ducked down beneath the bartender counter, but everyone else was slayed where they stood. Looking outside a side window, Meryl could faintly see boxes of dynamite being loaded into the side of the building. Millie, meanwhile, was loading up her gun.  
  
"Millie! Millie!!"  
  
Meryl whispered quietly to Millie. When she finally looked up, Meryl pointed out the dynamite. At that, Millie jumped up, gun fully loaded. On the ground near where Meryl and Millie's table had been, a cross-shaped gun wrapped in a neat white cloth lay on the ground. Millie, however, had gone ballistic at the gunfire and completely forgotten it.  
  
"No dirtbag gets away with shooting my bowl of pudding! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"  
  
Millie opened fire. Within seconds, the men were dead. Scarlet liquid spilled out of their wounds, and from one of the men's pocket fell a small, square item - the bomb trigger. Meryl sprung into action, grabbing both the cross-shaped gun and the bomb detonator. She pulled the cross-shaped gun close to her and flung the detonator at Millie.  
  
"Target practice, Millie!"  
  
BOOM!! The detonator was down in a flurry of bullets. The dynamite outside was now useless without a proper trigger. Meryl sighed again and looked around. The mysterious man from eariler had ducked behind a window and watched the whole thing, but when Meryl started looking around, he ran for it. No one heard him leave.  
  
"Everything OK, Millie? Bartender?"  
  
Millie smiled and nodded cheerfully, and the bartender raised his hand in a thumbs-up, signifing that he, too, was OK. Relieved, Meryl walked over to where Millie was standing and handed her the cross-shaped gun.  
  
"Here... I think this is yours. Wouldn't want anything to happen to our Cross Punisher, right?"  
  
Millie's face became sullen with grief, though she quickly hid it with one of her fake smiles. "Yeah."  
  
Meryl knew what Millie was feeling - this cross-shaped gun, the Cross Punisher, was a reminder of her first love, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Even holding his gun just made her feel sad inside. But she was still fighting, still using this gun as a reminder of everything Wolfwood stood for, and Millie did owe him at least that much.  
  
"Come on, Millie. If we hurry, we can catch a sandsteamer to October. I hear there's someone there who can help us with our problem."  
  
Millie became her usual cheerful self again and nodded. As the two of them left, they noticed the dead bodies and splattered crimson blood covering the streets - the Grog Mob had failed to get the saloon, but not the rest of the town. Meryl's heart gave a jolt inside her chest.  
  
"All those innocent people... dead... At least the sandsteamer is protected by all laws, even gangs, so we can still have a chance of making it to October."  
  
===Meanwhile...===  
  
"October, huh? Guess that's my cue. I should hurry - they can't get there and not see the guy they're looking for, right, Rem?"  
  
A familiar person pulled off his cloak and hat, both of black, revealing long, blonde, and spikey hair, a red coat full of buttons, and a sullen face, whose blue-ish eyes were hidden beneath sunglasses of yellow-orange.  
  
"Time to get into another costume."  
  
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Eek! Already, Vash makes an appearence! You'll see a lot of him later, but it's not my place to tell. I guarantee you, this'll be a very powerful fanfiction. And I'll always post a new chapter every week until it's done, too, so the wait time isn't bad, either. See you all next chapter!  
  
-Spike (Bright, shining hearts forever more - endlessly smile, for you are alive.) 


	2. The Edge of Insanity

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (No, I don't own Trigun, or anything about it, but anybody or thing I create is MINE!)  
  
Chapter: The Edge of Insanity  
  
Millie had been lulled to sleep by the humming of the late night sandsteamer to October City. Meryl sat wide awake, counting the number of times the pair of them had been attacked in saloons since they first started working for the insurance company. She was distracted, however, by a noise next door.  
  
-Sounds like some sort of party. Maybe I'll go check things out - it's better than sitting here, in any case.  
  
Moving quietly so as not to disturb Millie, Meryl tiptoed to the door and pushed it open. The hallway was empty and quiet, except for the occasional banging of the door next to theirs. Praying to Wolfwood and God that she came out of this OK, she knocked on the door. An extremely drunk voice shouted, "What!? I'm in the middle of my movie, dammit! Well, don't just stand there acting stupid, come in!"  
  
Meryl was deeply insulted by the man's words, but she walked in nonetheless. It was immediatly apparent just what this man was doing - many pornographic pictures hung over the walls, some of them holding beer bottles. It was a miracle Meryl could even walk - the floor was so littered with beer bottles it was like walking into a crowded bar. On the TV screen, an apparently pornographic movie was playing. The man was almost completely naked, except for a pair of odd-looking boxers. Nothing could've prepared Meryl for this.  
  
"DAMMIT, MANNING, THROW THE BALL!"  
  
Meryl looked confused - not only had she never heard of the name 'Manning' but it was obvious the man thought he was watching some form of sport. Something wasn't quite right here.  
  
"Um, sir... the banging coming from your room is very annoying... could you please stop?"  
  
The man looked over at Meryl - the poor guy's face could've passed for a forest, there was so much hair. His eyes were barely visible beneath his unibrow, and his hair was extremely messed up.  
  
"Yer pretty. How's about you - hic - ride me a pony. I'll - hic - pay good money if yeh let me fuck ya..."  
  
"You're disgusting! How dare you speak to me like that!" She pulled out a .44 from her belt and pointed it at the man. "Apologize!"  
  
This, apparently, had no effect on the man. Instead of begging forgiveness and pleading that he'll stop banging, he got to his feet and walked very slowly and drunkily towards Meryl, who kept her .44 pointed at the man's head. When he got close to Meryl, he immediatly dropped his boxers, revealing a large penis and more pubic hair than the hair on his face. Meryl could've puked at this sight, but she remained vigilante, pointing her gun at the man.  
  
"You now have two options - you let me out of here -" for the door had just closed shut behind her, "-and promise to stop banging, or I can either shoot you or report you for raping! Think it through carefully!"  
  
The man's eyes turned right up into his head at that, and he fell asleep. Meryl was extremely relieved, but all the same, she was not willing to cover up the man's penis. She merely let him be at that, and walked slowly out the door, still shivering. Taking note of the room number, Meryl went down to security to report the man as a rapist. The security guard promised they would send a man out to fetch him, and Meryl returned to her room, feeling extremely bothered by the events.  
  
-That was the sickest man I have ever met. Thank God Millie didn't see...  
  
Shivering silently, Meryl jumped into her own bed and awaited the day - after tonight's events, it was impossible to sleep. She looked over at Millie in the bed across from her own, smiling silently in her sleep. After a few seconds, she said, "More pudding, please, darling." Meryl smiled - she was still able to think happy thoughts of Wolfwood even after his death. Good for Millie!  
  
===Man's Room===  
  
The security guard covered entirely in blue instantly replaced the man's boxers with heavy-duty gloves on, then handed him over to his colleagues. When everyone was gone, he pulled off his mask, revealing the ol' Typhoon's face again. He looked extremely out of breath and blushing hard.  
  
"I can't believe what I had to do to get on this stupid sandsteamer! Phew.... that is one nasty man! He should be disciplined... but not in a dirty way, of course - that would be too good for him!"  
  
Vash laughed his high-pitched laugh and put his mask back on. He still had 50 iles until October City.  
  
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I will tell you right now - that man was not my most inspired creation. But this man is extremely importante to the story, so I had to sneak him in. Don't worry - he's not perverted and drunk all the time. The journey to October City continues!  
  
-Spike (Bright, shining hearts forever more - endlessly smile, for you are alive.) 


	3. The Prophecy

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (No, I don't own Trigun, or anything about it, but anybody or thing I create is MINE!)  
  
From here on out, it's time to get serious. The story's about to take a major upturn in events.  
  
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Chapter: The Prophecy  
  
Meryl decided to sleep only after she explained to Millie what had happened last night. Millie's expression was no different than Meryl, though she seemed to shake it out of her mind quite easily. Millie decided to pack her things while Meryl slept so that she could be ready for the departure to October.  
  
"Only five iles left, Meryl! Did you have a good sleep?"  
  
Meryl rubbed the sleep from her eyes and nodded, glad that she found some time to sleep, in any case. For the rest of the trip, Meryl and Millie discussed more on how they could get the people to realize that a resistance was coming without the Grog Mob noticing, Meryl packing her own things the entire time.  
  
"It seems as though we may never get a chance to tell them that we can help. They're either scared, or overprotective, or else taken over by the Grog Mob. We were lucky to get a saloon and a sandsteamer in the same day!"  
  
Millie listened intently, offering crazy ideas that would never work, while a black cat with huge green eyes* scratched at the door outside. Both girls ignored it and continued talking.  
  
The sandsteamer finally came to a stop outside October City. The girls walked outside, briskly petting the black cat as they went by, and headed out to find a lodging for the night. If this man could truly help them, then the girls would be here for quite a while. As they looked, their conversation turned to the man they were to meet.  
  
"Meryl, how in the world are we going to know it's him? I mean, there are lots of men on Gunsmoke - how do we know where to look or who to find?"  
  
Meryl had anticipated this question, knowing that it would come up at some point, so she told Millie what she'd heard.  
  
"I hear he has lodgings in a hotel-saloon combination building. I was hoping not to take up space in the same building as him, but we may have no choice if we can't find anywhere else."  
  
"Well, Meryl, it doesn't seem like it would do much harm."  
  
Meryl stopped in her tracks, looking at the ground. She knew Millie was right, she knew she was being stupid, looking for Vash on this vast planet. Her eyes became sad and shrunken. Finally, she turned to Millie and nodded.  
  
"You're right. Let's go. The name of the building we're looking for is the Marlon Barrel."  
  
===Marlon Barrel, Room 15===  
  
"She is coming."  
  
"Yes, mother."  
  
===Marlon Barrel, Room 28===  
  
"I hope those two get here soon. I have to make sure this man doesn't harm them - that's why his mother hired me."  
  
Vash the Stampede looked hopefully outside his window, disguised in a solid crimson cloak, about the length of his red cloak. His silver pistol lay resting in his pocket, while his left arm was hidden from view by the cloak's long sleeves. No one should know about this arm... no one who didn't know Vash like they had.  
  
===Marlon Barrel Hotel===  
  
"We made it, Millie! Now, let's go find us a room!"  
  
Meryl was very cheerful, having finally made it to their hotel. It was time now for them to get the resistance moving. She walked up to the main desk and requested a room for two.  
  
"Yes, milady. We have one two-bedroom one-kitchen one-bathroom lodging availible for use. The room number is #30. Here is your key - please enjoy your stay!"  
  
Meryl grinned and nodded, taking the key with gratitude, and she and Millie went up to their room. After carefully packing away their things, Meryl grabbed a large, red cloak and covered her face with it.  
  
"Come on, Millie, time to see a man about a horse."  
  
===Marlon Barrel Saloon===  
  
Meryl and Millie, both covered in equally hideous red cloaks, entered the Saloon and chose a private four-person table to sit down at. Meryl had explained earlier that if they sat down at this exact table with their cloaks on, the people they needed to talk to would come to them.  
  
"I hope this works, Millie - for the sake of Gunsmoke, at least."  
  
After waiting a few minutes, during which time they both ordered small glasses of water and Millie ordered a main course of pudding, two people came and sat down at their table. One of them was wearing a very large, purple cloak which sank down to her socks, which were black with a single star on each side, and was carrying what looked like a large, silver ball with something red-orange inside. The other person was wearing pure black all the way down. This person, a man by his looks, had orange eyebrows and long, black, spikey hair. He looked like a blackened copy of Vash the Stampede. The first person pulled back the top of her cloak to reveal a beautiful woman's face which seemed rather aged. The man's face was kurt, and no emotion showed whatsoever. The woman set the crystal ball on the table and spoke in a soft, hushed voice.  
  
"I'm glad you have come. I have something very important to speak of to you."  
  
Meryl looked rather confused. She gazed wearily into the crystal ball without really asking what it was, and noticed that the red-orange liquid she had seen earlier was now swirling in a blazing fury. Meryl jumped back, surprised, but the fire kept swirling, until it finally stopped and rested, revealing through the smog the face of the woman. She spoke to Meryl in a raspy voice.  
  
"Er time ago, an age of destruction. The deeds of this man could not be undone. Through ice and fire, he survived the fall. But his greatest challenge will soon come to call. To those he meets, he is naught but death. But his journey will end on the dragon's last breath."  
  
Then, the woman's face in the ball disappeared, leaving the swirling ball of fire empty once again. The woman looked into Meryl's eyes, awaiting a response apparently. The man's face remained motionless. Finally, Meryl unstuck her throat and spoke.  
  
"But... what does it mean? I mean... who are you talking about?"  
  
Meryl could've guessed that at anytime - she knew the woman was talking about either Vash or Knives. The woman spoke again.  
  
"You will have to find out. I am allowing my son, Kartsu, to travel with you. There is a chance of resistance. Use the eagle's eye..."  
  
At that, the woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke, taking her crystal ball with her. The man sat down, staring deeply into first Meryl's, then Millie's eyes, and then he spoke in a voice that matched his face - kurt and emotionless.  
  
"I am here to help, miladies. All you have to do is tell or ask me anything. Please, do not be hesitant."  
  
Meryl nodded softly, then turned to Millie and nodded. "We'll be going back to our rooms. Please keep watch outside the door. I'm confident you have lodgings yourself."  
  
The man nodded. Meryl, satisfied with her visit, exited the booth, leaving change for the water and the food - Millie had finished her pudding long ago. None of them had noticed another man enter a booth behind theirs. Vash's eyes seemed calm and relaxed as he watched the trio leave the saloon.  
  
"I knew I could count on Kartsu and his mom, I knew it!"  
  
Smiling to himself, he left for his own lodging, room 28. He whispered to his invisible self, "The resistance begins soon, my friend. Today... the resistance begins."  
  
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Who is this man who has taken up guardian's position for Meryl and Millie? Why would his mom ask him to help? Most importantly, how does Vash know about him? The resistance begins... Vash is confident it has. Time to pick up the pace!  
  
*: Kureneko-sama makes an appearence in every episode of Trigun - why not every fanfic? He's too cute to leave out! Hehe.... inner child speaks up!  
  
-Spike (Bright, shining hearts forever more - endlessly smile, for you are alive.) 


	4. Odd Man Out

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (No, I don't own Trigun, or anything about it, but anybody or thing I create is MINE!)  
  
First, thy author's notes. To my reviewer, a few answers. First, it's interesting to think about that man (Chap. 2) as Wolfwood, though as you'll find out, he is not. He might've been if this fic was an AU that had somehow let Wolfy survive. It's also interesting as to thinking of Vash as a 'guardian angel' for the girls - you'll see why later on. Also, Brilliant Dynamite Neon's assassination is in this story, so stay tuned and you'll find out. Now, onward!  
  
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Chapter: Odd Man Out  
  
Meryl and Millie awoke the next morning, refreshed as ever. They seeked out Kartsu, who had not slept the entire night, though no signs of sleepiness showed. They headed down to the saloon and ordered themselves an early breakfast - they would need to get out of here if they wanted to make the journey ahead of them. They were also having breakfast so Kartsu could tell them where they're going. As soon as they had ordered and the waitress had walked away, Meryl jumped Kartsu with the question she'd meant to ask since last night.  
  
"What did she mean by the 'eagle's eye', Kartsu?"  
  
Kartsu looked meaningfully at her, face still emotionless. The booth was tense as Meryl sat there, watching Kartsu stare directly into her eyes, until the food finally came. After a minute of chewing, Kartsu spoke in a harsh, raspy voice - one of a man who had not slept.  
  
"The Eagle's Eye has a few different meanings. One meaning is the underground newspaper's title, The Eagle's Eye. Another would be the secret designs for a gun more powerful than even Vash the Stampede." Meryl's eyes drew cold and lonely at the sound of Vash's name. Kartsu had noticed, and decided not to dwell on it. "It is also the name of an underground gang whom originally came from the old Bad Lads group. When they realized what the group was turning to, they fled. Dug themselves a little hole and hid beneath the sands, building up their skills, and stealing anything they needed. The leader of this group was named Brilliant Dynamite Neon."  
  
Millie jumped up at that name, spilling syrup over the table. Embarrased, she cleaned up, while looking at Kartsu with hopeful eyes.  
  
"Have you met BDN, Mr. Kartsu?"  
  
The man shook his head. "He was assassinated shortly after The Eagle Eyes escaped."  
  
"Oh, no..."  
  
Millie looked close to tears. Meryl looked confused at this.  
  
-Does she really care what happened to him, after the incident on the sandsteamer?  
  
Meryl decided to ask what she knew Millie wanted to.  
  
"How did this man, BDN, die?"  
  
Kartsu turned back to Meryl, his face remaining motionless.  
  
-How can he be so cold-hearted? He's like an android...  
  
"I'm not sure you want to know... it is unimportant, in any case. The important thing is, all three of these Eagle's Eyes can help us in several ways. All we have to do is figure out a way to get them."  
  
"So, tell me, Kartsu..." Meryl was looking extremely hopeful through her next few words. "Are you adept with a gun?"  
  
Kartsu pulled back part of his cloak, revealing a small, loaded pistol, in similar fashion to a .44 but with a larger handle and smaller barrel. It was pure black, just like the man who wielded it. Meryl seemed content with his answer, and jumped at him again.  
  
"So... where do you think we should start?"  
  
Kartsu's eyes were still motionless. This man was not ordinary, Meryl could tell. Kartsu's voice took a definite upturn in tone as he spoke again.  
  
"It all depends on what is most important to us first. If we need the key to our success, we should start with the Eagle's Eye newspaper and the Eagle's Eye weapon. Both items have connections through the Eagle Eyes gang. It's up to you whether we should find Vash first, or if we need the weapon before we need him."  
  
Meryl lay back in her seat, thinking everything over.  
  
-If we go for the newspaper, we may have a chance of finding Vash... but if we get to the weapon first, we should have enough firepower to win a resistance fight without the Typhoon. However...  
  
Meryl looked up into Kartsu's eyes again and replied. "We shall find Vash the Stampede, first and foremost."  
  
Millie looked pleased to hear Meryl's answer - apparently, so was Kartsu, for his mouth finally broke into a smile. Suddenly, he seemed to be a true companion, full of life and compassion, just like Vash was. Meryl was shocked to see this sudden change in him.  
  
"Come. We must find an entry into the underground. I hope you know what you are doing. Also, we must be swift and silent..."  
  
Millie looked confused. "Why?"  
  
"Because, if the Grog Mob finds out what we're up to, they'll try to go for the weapon, or kill us in our tracks. All of our tracks must be covered carefully, and we must make point-blank time at point-blank speed to get to the Eagle Eyes Headquarters if we are to avoid contact with the Mob."  
  
They settled travel setups next. Kartsu figured it best to stay on foot - no one would suspect wondering travellers on foot, and entrances to the underground are often discovered while walking. Meryl looked displeased at having to walk, but she agreed nonetheless. Before they left, Kartsu said he had to make one more stop before heading out. He told the girls to wait at the booth while he went back into the hotel. Meryl started to question Millie about him.  
  
"Can we really trust him, Millie? He doesn't exactly seem like the type of person who would travel in secret."  
  
Millie looked rather happy about this. "Why are you smiling, Millie?"  
  
"Because, now you're the one questioning him, and not me. It's just a sudden turn in events, huh? But at least he can help us, right?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
Kartsu returned, face emotionless once again. He motioned to the girls to follow him, which they did without hesitation. They checked out of their rooms and headed out into the dusty morning of Gunsmoke.  
  
"My last stop was to find out where the closest entrance to the underground would be. We have quite a walk ahead of us - it's due 78 iles north of here, and we are to run every ile of it. I hope you girls are up to it. Let's go!"  
  
With that, Kartsu was off in breakneck speed. The girls, though sometimes lazy, were very fit, and so could easily keep up with him. They ran for about 10 iles north of October before stopping to rest on a small, desolated cliff. Kartsu did not look the least bit out of breath - neither, in fact, did Millie. Meryl, however, looked slightly sweaty and worn out. She was relieved when they stopped.  
  
"Thanks! I haven't run in so long, it's just my legs haven't traveled like this before... I'll be OK after a few drinks of water."  
  
She pulled out her canteen and drank deeply from it, water dripping down her throat and cleansing her thirst. After a few seconds, she put the canteen away, looking refreshed and energized. Kartsu nodded when he saw this and took off again, the girls right behind him.  
  
===20 minutes later===  
  
"Only... 10... more... iles... Meryl!" Millie maintained her cheerfullness, but it was obvious to tell she was running out of breath as well. It was amazing it had taken her 68 iles carrying the Cross Punisher before finally getting tired. Kartsu stopped again, looking only slightly displeased, but remaining vigilante nonetheless. When Millie looked up at him questioningly, he nodded to her.  
  
"It's quite alright. We are making better time then I had hoped. It's-"  
  
But he stopped mid-sentence, looking behind the girls. Meryl turned around, hand tightly clenched on her .44. In the distance, several men wearing Grog Mob logo shirts were running towards them. Kartsu sighed deeply.  
  
"It is as I feared... they tracked us down. Prepare for battle, girls."  
  
Meryl jumped up, .44 now out of its sheath and held tightly at chest level with her. Mille jumped up as well, unfolding the white cloth around the Cross Punisher to reveal a large, cross-shaped machine gun, fully loaded. Kartsu looked surprised but did not question it.  
  
"Here we go!!"  
  
Meryl and Kartsu began firing at the men in the distance while Millie waited patiently. Several of the men fell to the ground, roasting on the sun, but plenty more were behind them. Kartsu looked to Millie.  
  
"Your turn, priestess!"  
  
"Right!" Millie jumped up, flipping the Cross Punisher into the air and landing softly in her hands. With no regret, she opened fire on the men, spraying each row of men with bullets. The scarlet blood was now seeping into the sands, creeping up slowly on the group. Kartsu's eyes suddenly widened.  
  
"Stop firing! EVERYONE, STOP FIRING!"  
  
The girls looked confused, but they put down their guns. Now that the gunfire had stopped, they could hear it - a large pounding of feet in the distance.  
  
"These men were a distraction..."  
  
And then, Meryl understood. "The Nebraska Family!"  
  
The trio stood in fear, awaiting the destiny that came pounding at them.  
  
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Just in case you got confused, the Nebraska Family was in Trigun Episode #5, Hard Puncher. Professor Nebraska and his son are back, yes yes! Well, time to go for me. Oh, and by the way, instead of weekly updates, I have decided to put up a chapter every time I finish the one right after said chapter. Thus, I shall put up Chapter 3 after I finish typing this chapter, and this chapter will go up after I finish typing Chapter 5, and so on. Till next time!  
  
-Spike (Bright, shining hearts forever more - endlessly smile, for you are alive.) 


	5. The Encounter

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (Now, I ask you... is a disclaimer really necessary?)  
  
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Chapter: The Encounter  
  
The stomping continued in the distance. The trio stood frozen in place, awaiting their arrival. Finally, in the distance, they could see the faint outline of a giant robot, propelled by its giant legs and loaded with heavy artillery. In the driver's seat, at the very heart, sat Professor Nebraska, the ugly criminal who had broken out of jail once before to kill Vash. When they were finally close enough, Professor stopped his 'son' and spoke.  
  
"Hah! So I finally meet with Vash's dearest friends! Such an honor, pathetic pests!!"  
  
Kartsu looked deeply annoyed at his words. Meryl and Millie remained vigilante, awaiting their chance. It was Kartsu, however, who set off Nebraska.  
  
"You are one pathetic, self-centered, cocky, rich, selfish, bitch-fucking, cock-sucking, metamorphic bastard!!!"  
  
"Say WHAT?!?!? You'll pay for that one! Get 'em, my precious son!"  
  
The giant robot lifted his fist and launched it forward. The girls ducked, waiting for it to be over, but from behind them came gunshots - five gunshots right on the mark. The robot screamed in agony. Kartsu rushed forward, as though he had been waiting for this.  
  
"Now, you die."  
  
BLAM. One shot was all he needed to short-circuit the main computer chip controlling Gosefoske and completely destroy him, leaving Professor Nebraska in the driver's seat, shocked to the bone. Kartsu smiled, but the girls looked shocked.  
  
"Why did you kill him, Kartsu? He was just an innocent-"  
  
But Millie cut off there - she knew her words to be false, having witnessed one of Nebraska's crimes. Her fall of silence did not seem to bother Kartsu - on the contary, he smiled at them.  
  
"It's all ok. Let's get going - we've still got 10 more iles until we reach that entrance."  
  
Meryl could've sworn she got a glimpse of a smile on Kartsu's face before he turned his back on her and began running again. There was no time to question things - for the next few minutes, they were on the run, moving as fast as possible. When they were about 3 iles from the underground entrance, Millie came up behind Meryl, panting heavily.  
  
"Meryl... do you... have... any water... on you??"  
  
Meryl smiled brightly and handed Millie the water canteen. She slowed down for a minute to drink deeply, then handed the canteen back to Meryl and smiled cheerfully.  
  
"Thanks. You know, something still confuses me - who was it that shot poor Goesfose's hand out? I thought there was no one ahead of us."  
  
Meryl shook her head, looking slightly displeased. "I don't know, Millie." She looked up at Kartsu, her tone of voice remaining confused. "I just... don't know..."  
  
All talking ceased as they reached the ile radius of the entrance. As they ran on, Kartsu began looking side to side, as though searching for something. Meryl and Millie followed his lead, and when he noticed this, he shouted to them.  
  
"We're looking for an abandoned outhouse! It's our entrance to the underground territory, Teardrop!"  
  
The girls nodded and continued to look. After a few minutes, Millie finally shouted out. "Look! Over there!"  
  
Kartsu stopped dead. Millie had already begun running towards the outhouse, worn and rickity, and Kartsu just smiled.  
  
"She seems very happy to go underground. Come on - before she hurts herself."  
  
Meryl smiled, and Kartsu smiled back. Then, with a leap of the boots, the pair ran off after Millie. When they reached the outhouse, Millie was standing there, waiting.  
  
"Ok, Mr. Kartsu, what now?"  
  
Kartsu opened up the outhouse, which was surprisingly empty except for a giant hole in the center. Kartsu looked over at Meryl. "Ladies first."  
  
Without hesitation, Meryl jumped. The hole was quite a drop - by Meryl's calculations, it would've been an entire ile, most likely, if she'd brought a measuring tape with her. Looking up, she could see the outline of Millie's panties as she fell after Meryl. Looking past Millie, Meryl could barely see the outline of Kartsu's long pants - so his cloak hadn't been the only thing on. Meryl jerked her head downward now so she could see what was going on below her. Above her, she could hear Millie's screams of happiness as she began her jump from the ground level. Kartsu could barely be heard as he followed after Millie.  
  
Meryl landed on hard rock, and Millie was but a few paces away from her - suddenly, Meryl realized what "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" meant. Luckily, Millie had known the pain, and she rolled Meryl out of the way so that Kartsu could land on the rock path. The rocks seem to lead on into the abyss ahead of them, and there was no going anywhere else. Without hesitation, Kartsu jumped forward. Meryl and Millie, after much scrambling to get out of the rocks, followed. It was an ile's run, but they made it - the rather harsh-looking underground city...  
  
"Trapsodic City... what an honor." Kartsu fell to his knees, as though humbled by the city's unapparent glow. The girls were rather unsure of what he was doing, but as Kartsu had rarely ever questioned their ways, so they would not question his. Kartsu stood up in a second and nodded.  
  
"Let's go. We've got to find him soon... I sense something dangerous coming up."  
  
Meryl nodded, and Millie grinned. The three of them walked forth into the city. It was rather odd-looking - dome-shaped houses that were very worn-looking, as though years of use had finally broken them apart. There were no note-worthy buildings - each had its own sign, stating the occupant's family name or the business being run at the building. From a distance, it could've looked like a bubble city. As they walked, Millie stopped to gaze at the flowers inside a flower shop. She looked over at Kartsu, who nodded, then ran inside the store and picked a few favorites. Meryl sighed and sat down on the rock path.  
  
===The Flower Shop===  
  
"I'll take 15 of these and 20 of these, and... OOOOOO!! 1,500 of those!!!"  
  
Millie was extremely happy as she jumped around the building, picking flower after flower after flower and placing them on the counter. The man behind the counter had a giant cloak on, but his eyes were obviously popping. When Millie finally slowed down to a halt, the man pulled back his cloak, revealing his face. Millie gasped - loudly.  
  
"Mr. Vash!! It's you, it's really you!!"  
  
"So.... many..... flowers...." Vash looked rather odd - perhaps the shock of seeing Millie pick so many flowers had made him sick to his stomach. In any case, he still looked alive and well. Outside, Kartsu's order of 'stay here' could be heard, and the next second, he entered the shop, looking rather confused.  
  
"Jesus Christ Almighty, girl, what the hell have you done to my friend?"  
  
Millie grinned as Kartsu approached the counter. His eyes turned from Millie's eyes of joy to Vash's face, and he smiled. "I see you made it out OK."  
  
Vash blushed. "Well, there were quite a few guards left after Nebraska left, but I got out OK." He laughed - such high-pitched laughter could make one sick. Millie looked rather confused.  
  
"Guards...? Mr. Kartsu, what is he talking about?"  
  
Vash looked into Millie's eyes and smiled. "I've been following you since the events in Augusta! Remember that man who was being mugged outside? That was me!"  
  
Millie looked genuinly surprised, but mildly pleased. "So, you have been with us the whole time, just as I suspected!"  
  
He chuckled. "Nothing gets past you, does it, Millie? But could you do me a favor?"  
  
"Mm-hmm!"  
  
"Don't tell Meryl about this." Vash's eyes turned almost to tears, but he fought them. He could not cry now, not again... "Please, Millie?"  
  
Millie cocked her head to the side, rather confused, but she agreed. "Alright, Mr. Vash, if you say so. I'm just so glad to see you again!"  
  
Vash nodded. "It was very nice to see you too, Millie." He gave her a hug, and then looked her in the eyes again.  
  
-Such sadness... I can see Wolfwood inside of her...  
  
Kartsu interrupted. "Millie, could you leave us alone for a little while? Tell Meryl I'll be out soon."  
  
Millie nodded. "Good-bye, Vash! May we see you again!"  
  
Vash grinned and waved as Millie left, leaving one man, and two. Kartsu turned to Vash, something of a sparkle in his eyes.  
  
"You know, they came down here looking for you."  
  
Vash shot his eyes from the door to Kartsu. "Why would they do that? Most people believe I'm dead."  
  
Kartsu stared him down. "The resistance. You know, of course, that the Eagle Eyes are almost shattered now - only a few squadrons left. Everyone's heartbroken since the day..."  
  
A deep, heavy sigh. Vash realized now what he was talking about. "Brilliant Dynamites Neon. Was the resistance really hinging on his survival?"  
  
Kartsu nodded. Vash breathed deep. "So, the girls believe that I'm the only hope of resistance against the tyrants who once called themselves the Bad Lads?"  
  
"You're on a roll, kid." Kartsu reached into his left pocket and pulled out an old paper - it was a clipping from 'The Eagle's Eye' newspaper. On the front was a picture of BDn's grave - etched into the stone were the words "Honor is dignity beyond foolish desire." A soft, clear tear ran down Vash's cheek. Kartsu stowed the clipping back in his pocket.  
  
"This is all wrong... none of this should've happened."  
  
Kartsu nodded. "Yeah, you're right, but the question is how... how would this happen? Of all the gangs that could've risen up, the Bad Lads had to be chosen..."  
  
"There must be a reason." Vash's crying eyes turned back to Kartsu's. "I want you to help Meryl and Millie in any way possible, but remember - don't tell them where I am. Not even Millie can be allowed to know... and she's already seen me. Please..."  
  
Kartsu nodded. "I've done my part so far. Nothing will happen to them. In the meantime, try to figure out how this happened. It can't have been chance, or fate... it must've been planned."  
  
Vash wiped the tears from his face and nodded. "Yes. But, Kartsu... I don't know what danger we are facing. I myself can only do so much to protect the girls - it is you I must depend on the most. Please..."  
  
"You're too sappy today, kid. Don't worry." Kartsu made for the door, walking slowly and carefully. "They're in good hands... you know that. Just trust me, Vash, and everything will be OK."  
  
"Yes... well, may fortune be yours, Kartsu."  
  
"Same with you... Vash the Stampede."  
  
With these last words, Kartsu exited the shop and looked around, catching sight of Meryl and Millie a few minutes down the road.  
  
-I won't let them be dangered, Vash... but they must know the truth sometime... don't hide your fate.  
  
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Geez, that took forever to write! I had to come up with all that dialouge in an instant! But, here it is, for your pleasure. Things are about to heat up, too. Shalln't say no more here.  
  
By the way, don't confuse the underground territory (Teardrop) with one of its cities (Trapsodic). Just so you know...!  
  
-Spike (Bright, shining hearts forever more - endlessly smile, for you are alive.) 


	6. Hellfire

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (Should I even bother writing anything here?)  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Keep... your eyes on me... now we're on the edge of hell...  
  
Dear my love... sweet morning light... wait for me, you've gone much farther...  
  
Too far."  
  
~Yuki Kajiura, 'Fake Wings'  
  
Chapter: Hellfire  
  
"So, what now? I mean, there's no way for us to find him in this place, it's too worn down!"  
  
Meryl was extremely displeased at the fact that both of her companions had left her waiting in the middle of the rock path without ANY possible excuse for looking at flowers...  
  
"We will discontinue our search for Vash the Stampede here. We must find the Eagle Eyes gang immediatly." Kartsu looked serious about this, and Meryl didn't have any way to fight it. She had said it herself, there was no way to find Vash in this place anyway. She nodded.  
  
"Good. Let's get going then. There's an old town nearby named Domastoc that should have some information on them. They like to play their games in secret, but they're spotted most often in that city anyways."  
  
Just then, a small boy of about 13 came running down the rock path on the opposite side of the outhouse entrance. He looked very distraught, and was screaming something that, at this distance, was very inaudible. Only Kartsu, it seemed, could hear him.  
  
"Hell... the Grog Mob is coming!"  
  
"What did you say, Mr. Kartsu?"  
  
"He's saying the Grog Mob is coming!" Kartsu began running in the direction of the boy. Meryl and Millie followed after him, a sense of unease about them. Meryl suddenly felt a strange sense of discomfort, mixed with her fear of being attacked. She kept running, but this strange feeling couldn't leave her. Distracted, she bumped into Millie, whom had stopped right behind Kartsu. He held up a finger, signaling to stay quiet, and drew his gun. With his same finger he motioned all around him.  
  
Meryl looked around, and then she knew why she'd been so discomforted - the entire town had been watching them. Meryl mouthed the words 'Why are they watching?' to Kartsu, and he gave her a look of distraught anger as a response. The entire town's civilians were members of the Grog Mob. Millie pulled out from behind her cloak her own large gun, choosing to leave the Cross Punisher for later. Meryl pulled out her .44 and loaded it with bullets very quietly. Kartsu began to whisper to them.  
  
"On the count of three, the two of you will open fire on the town. Keep them distracted - the kid is the ringleader, and he's all mine. Be careful, as they're all armed."  
  
The girls nodded, locked and loaded for battle. Kartsu's hand formed a one. Millie and Meryl stood back-to-back, prepared to fire. Kartsu's middle finger went up - two. Sweat beads formed on Meryl's hand and Millie's forehead, but neither shivered. Kartsu took one step forward and shouted, "THREE!"  
  
It began. Apparently, the Grog Mob couldn't afford really good weapons, so all the townspeople were armed with .44's, just like Meryl. Unfortunatly, they weren't good shots like Meryl was, so they all fell without a fight. Millie, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying having a powerful gun, and was dropping large portions of debris on everybody who tried to fire at her. Both girls were dodging bullets as fast as they could, taking only minor scrapes and bruises. Kartsu, meanwhile had charged for the kid.  
  
"You're chopped liver, you skivving son of a bitch!" He was firing, but the kid was really good, being only 13. He could easily dodge all of Kartsu's bullets without a problem. Kartsu ran for a fallen piece of debris to hide behind, and the kid chased, pulling out some weird new weapon that no one had ever seen before. When he fired it, the thing fired some sort of ultra-violent ray, and Kartsu was forced to dodge. The ray melted a neon sign from one of the stores instead. The girls looked up from their new hiding places to catch a glimpse of the weapon's power.  
  
"Wow, you don't see many weapons like that on Gunsmoke..." Meryl shivered now. "The Grog Mob must be getting some new toys from different planets."  
  
Millie, on the other hand, was too busy trying to raid the pudding store to realize that she was now caved in. "Ooooh, strawberry! My favorite!"  
  
Kartsu was finally hiding safely inside an old domehouse. Bolting the door shut, he looked out the window. The kid was standing nearby the old wooden porch, smiling disdainfully. "You won't hide from me forever, Gevan. You're a traitor and a bastard, and you don't deserve to LIVE!" With this last word, the gunfire continued. Kartsu only watched the boy as he ended up falling flat on his face. He smiled, looking past the boy to Meryl, who had jumped up from her own hiding place to shoot the boy's leg. Her face was concentrating hard on her target - she was truly a good shot. Relieved, Kartsu unbolted the door of his spot and ran out to the boy. Meryl and Millie came after him.  
  
"Nice shot, Meryl." But Meryl's face was now filling with anger. She was pointing her gun at Kartsu. "This boy called you Gevan. What is going on here?"  
  
-Damn... she got me.  
  
He stood up, hands in the air. "Forgive me... I am Kartsu Gevan, and I am the one who was hired to assassinate a target named Brilliant Dynamites Neon."  
  
"Hell yes, you were! And then you... unh..." The boy had tried to speak up, but his bloodshot wound was not allowing him to. Meryl looked from the boy to Kartsu. After a moment's thought, she spoke. "Let's get this boy in bandages, and you can tell us the whole story, Mr. Gevan."  
  
Kartsu nodded and sighed a breath of relief. -At least she didn't shoot me.  
  
===Later - Trapsodic Saloon===  
  
The group had gathered in Trapsodic's broken-down saloon. The boy had been safely bandaged thanks to a medical kit supplied by Millie. The three of them were now looking at Kartsu, who breathed heavily for a few deathly silent moments, and then began.  
  
"I was originally an agent for the Bad Lads. However, when I heard the group was splitting, I was asked by this strange old man in the group who happened to be a vice leader to BDN to assassinate the leader. He showed me a large suitcase of money, and said if I killed BDN, all this wealth would be mine."  
  
After a few moments, during which the girls were allowed to absorb the information, he began speaking again. "I was loaded and ready to go. But before I did, this kid named Kite came to me and said if I didn't kill BDN, he could get me the suitcase. His only condition was that I run after I had the suitcase, and that I officially quit the Bad Lads once I had the money. It seemed fair, and I wasn't keen on killing people at the time, so I agreed. Soon after, however, this kid-" He motioned to the injured boy sitting next to Millie. "He was my spy at the time, he saw what happened. The kid went to alert my employer after I had the money. I continued to run even after, but the old man was the one who assassinated BDN, and he blamed me for it. I took refuge in the only place I knew they couldn't find me - my mother's house."  
  
"So, you... didn't... kill BDN?" Meryl was looking slightly alarmed at this information. Kartsu shook his head. "No, I was only blamed for it. Had I known what the group was doing at the time, I would've gladly warned BDN about it, but... I was on the run before I realized what had happen."  
  
A pause in conversation. Then, Millie spoke up. "So, Mr. Kartsu... what do you want to do?"  
  
"I want to kill the bastard who framed me for that crime. I want to atone for my mistakes." He looked at Meryl with hopeful eyes.  
  
-Even I can't turn down something like that. Given the choice, I'd gladly do the same thing.  
  
"Alright, Kartsu, we'll help you. But, only because we want you to be of as little trouble to us as possible." Meryl grinned, but only slightly. "We can pick up our search later."  
  
Kartsu, smiling, turned to the boy next to Millie. "So, will you help us as well?"  
  
"No. You are a traitor, and I still work for the Grog Mob. Do not expect me to help YOU."  
  
Kartsu shrugged. "Your loss. Let's get going - it's about 3.5 iles to the next city."  
  
-Vash, for the love of God, I hope you heard all of that.  
  
===Trapsodic Saloon Ventilation Duct===  
  
Tears of sadness passed down Vash's cheek as he finished listening to Kartsu's story. "Yes, Kartsu, I heard. I'll be with you guys... until the very end."  
  
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I was half-asleep when I wrote this, but here it is. I always appreciate continued reviewers. Somehow, I always get good reviews... do you love me too much? Well, until next time.  
  
-Spike (There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.) 


	7. The Golden Colt

Trigun  
  
Dragon's Breath  
  
Written by: Spike (Yeah, yeah... whatever. Don't own Trigun... Kartsu's mine... whatever.)  
  
A/N: Is anyone reading anymore? Well, if you are but fell asleep, prepare for a wake-up call. Here we go!  
  
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Chapter: The Golden Colt  
  
The trio (and a very well-hidden Vash) headed out from Trapsodic City to travel to Domastoc, where it was rumored that the Grog Mob had positioned themselves. Kartsu didn't seem as surprised about this news as the girls had.  
  
"They must have control of the entire underground. This'll make traveling very harsh for us - we'll have to move quickly again, and without a sound. If so much as a pebble moves down that path, we're Gatling meat." He instilled the girls' boots with a special padding. "It'll silence your movement."  
  
Now, they walked as carefully as possible along the edge of the extremely wide cavern, making sure that no one could hear or see them. It was hard work, especially having to walk with the Cross Punisher AND Millie's stun gun AND Kartsu's long cloak, which twice Meryl almost stepped on. They were like this for about 3 iles, and then they stopped to rest, much to the girls' relief.  
  
"This is hard work, trying to keep quiet and move quickly!" Millie whispered to the others. Kartsu nodded, a sense of panic around him as he watched the path below them. This was a long drop, and there were more patrols on the loose the farther they walked. It was lucky that they weren't dead yet - it was also lucky that they had the shadow advantage. Millie attempted to sit down... and THAT was the biggest mistake ever - she slipped. Fortunatley, Meryl was right next to her, so she didn't fall, but several pebbles fell. Kartsu's eyes widened.  
  
"Shit! Get down!" An urgent panic and struggle, and soon they were completely laid back against the wall. The cavern felt cold to Meryl, but she did not let it phase her. She held in her breath and watched as several guards came up to where they'd heard the noise - only a few pinches away from where they had been resting. At last, they were gone, but Kartsu put his arm across her chest, signaling her to wait until they were back on patrol. Finally, they were pulled off the wall and back onto the rocky path.  
  
"That was a close one!" Meryl whispered. Both of her companions nodded.  
  
They began to move again, as fast as they could, without daring to even sneeze. They had finally cleared the last half-ile, and could now see the walls of Domastoc City up ahead. It was just as beaten-down as Trapsodic had been, but at least it had more Mob members guarding the outside. Without a sound, they relaxed against the wall again, admiring the city's blueprint from afar and looking for anything major. Finally, after several mintues, Kartsu pointed out a sandsteamer near the other end of town.  
  
"He's there... I know it."  
  
"How do you know that, Kartsu?" Meryl questioned.  
  
"Because... the side..." Kartsu pointed. Down on the side, Meryl could faintly see the print of the Grog Mob, just like on their shirts. She nodded as soon as she saw it. "Ah... I see. So, what's the plan?"  
  
He turned to her, staring her down with coldened eyes. "YOU two are to stay here. This is my score, and I will settle it myself, without any help!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Meryl had her bossy voice on now. "And how do you know you'll never need help, hm? We're coming with you no matter what you say!"  
  
Kartsu attempted to reason with her, but she didn't dare let him. "We're coming. Don't try to fight us."  
  
-There's just no breaking this woman...- He sighed. "Fine. You can come, Meryl. But we're sneaking into the city, and..." He eyed Millie. "...we can't have any loud noises."  
  
"I understand, Mr. Kartsu. I'll stay here!" Millie replied. "I've got a two-way radio here-" She handed one to Kartsu. "-So, I'll radio you if anything major happens to the sandsteamer. Good luck, you two!"  
  
With their farewells, Kartsu and Meryl began sneaking towards the city walls, still shrouded in darkness. When they were within shooting distance of the guard, Meryl pulled out a silencer add-on to her weapon. Kartsu stared. "Why didn't you tell me you had one of those?"  
  
Meryl gave a sigh of exasperation. "It never came up." She successfully installed the silencer and knocked out the only guard on the city wall. One head shot was all she needed to bring him down. Kartsu nodded. "Now, let's move. They'll never catch us once we're in the city."  
  
They began to work their way towards the city as fast as possible, soundless and breathless. They managed to vault the city wall long before anyone realized the guard was dead.  
  
"Now, let's go." Kartsu tried to head for the sandsteamer, but Meryl stopped him. "What? What the hell do you want?"  
  
"I just want to ask how in the world are you going to get to this guy?" Bossy tone, stillllllll there. "I mean, there must be thousands of guards, and-"  
  
"You obviously don't know me very well. I'll be fine. All you have to worry about is keeping cool under heavy fire." He grinned - some sort of joke or whatnot.  
  
"Whatever. Let's go."  
  
===Five minutes later===  
  
"WHAT?! We're going to... do... WHAT????!?!?!?"  
  
Kartsu seemed unsurprised by Meryl's response. He had just told her what they were going to do. Apparently she didn't like it.  
  
"You want ME and YOU to raid an ENTIRE SANDSTEAMER WITH ONLY A STANDARD .44 AND A SPECIALIZED .44?? ARE YOU NUTS??????"  
  
She tried her best to keep her voice down, but this was just insane. An entire sandsteamer? This was the stuff that the Cross Punisher was made for, not .44s!  
  
"Don't worry, we can do it." Without another word, he jumped into the ventilation duct. Meryl followed, still reluctant.  
  
-Dammit, I can't believe I'm doing this. Kartsu's obviously gone crazy!  
  
Soon, they reached a shaft, and Kartsu kicked it out swiftly, jumping down after it and immediatly shooting every man in the room. Within seconds, they were dead, blood pouring from their bodies as Meryl jumped down after Kartsu.  
  
"Well, at least now we have a safe.......... haven......" Meryl looked around, trying to keep her sentence intact - they had just cleared a men's bathroom. A look of extreme disgust begot Meryl's face.  
  
"Don't just stand there, let's go!" Shaking herself free of her disgust, she followed Kartsu. Together, they were able to clear out each room, including communications and the boiler room. Finally, the only place left was the helm. Kartsu approached it in the lead, saying, "I'll go first." Meryl nodded.  
  
He kicked the door open. Standing there was... Meryl let out an audible gasp. It was the same man who had tried to rape her on the sandsteamer to October. He was now fully dressed and sober, looking at the door with a strangled look of hatred and surprise on his face. Finally, a low, raspy voice said, "Kartsu... my old friend..."  
  
Kartsu pointed his .44 at the man. "James Comder... you are the man responsible for my reputation. Now, I have come for my revenge." Meryl shook slightly at these words. Revenge was not one of her favorite things.  
  
"But my dear boy... what have I ever done to you?" With that, he pulled out a large shotgun and fired. Kartsu was shot in the knee and seriously injured. Still, he looked up at James, a look of pain and disgust mixing his face.  
  
"Damn you... bastard.... GO TO HELL!!!!" Kartsu suddenly jumped up, perfectly fine, and from his other pocket he pulled another gun, one whose shine made Meryl shield her eyes. When the glow finally subsided, Meryl gasped again. "It's... it's the... and you're the..."  
  
"Yes, Meryl. I am Kartsu Gevan, former man of the Bad Lads..." He looked at her, the fires of hell burning in his eyes. "...And I am also The Legendary Golden Colt, known for his marksmanship and heavy will to survive in this pathetic excuse for a planet. I've made my living by hunting down every bounty ever founded by the gorvernment... and I have come back to my old roots to take revenge on the man who sent me on the run in the first place!"  
  
With that, it began. The man, James, pulled out a .44 and began to dodge and shoot at the same time. Kartsu was not yet using the Golden Colt, waiting for his chance. After several moments...  
  
-Begin Slow Motion-  
  
James jumped directly in front of Kartsu just as Kartsu puts up his Golden Colt. His finger, moving slowly, pulls the trigger.  
  
-End Slow Motion-  
  
BLAM. BLAM. BLAM.  
  
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Tie-In Freestyle Poem: The Colt of Destruction  
  
He was a wanderer, a man of a man,  
  
Searching for a challenge.  
  
He was the greatest bounty hunter anyone ever knew of.  
  
He was the only one who could kill and not be killed...  
  
He was as legendary as Vash the Stampede.  
  
When he was on the prowl...  
  
This look of hell was in his eyes.  
  
It was like the Diablo had possessed him.  
  
Nothing could stop him.  
  
It was a nightmare for anyone who was under his eye.  
  
The towns were restless...  
  
For the sound of three gunshots  
  
Could be heard in the distance...  
  
That was the signal... that the Colt  
  
Had gotten his man.  
  
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-Spike (Destiny brought us together; fate will tear us apart.) 


	8. Rerun

Trigun

Dragon's Breath

Written by: Spike (Wow, I have something to write now! I don't own Trigun OR Linkin Park's song, In The End, which is entirely kick-ASS and is the influence for this chapter. =P Oh, and my brand new character, Demonte Kalabis, is actually a character from Blood Lotus Demonwalker's stories. You should read them, they're really good!)

A/N: As you can tell, I've begun to develop Kartsu's character in much more detail, now. He's had quite a few experiences, and quite a few major battles. But this next one is the clincher - it sets the stage for the war! Hehe... ready?

_I tried so hard, and got so far..._

_But in the end, it doesn't even matter..._

_I had to fall, to lose it all..._

_But in the end, it doesn't even matter......_

_-Linkin Park, Hybrid Memories, Track 9 - In The End_

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Mini-Chapter: Death 

_BLAM. BLAM. BLAM._

The gunshots echoed throughout the sandsteamer, ringing a darkness of flame throughout her heart. Meryl held quite still, breathing heavily as she watched three shots burn into James' head, watched him fall to the ground, blood running all down his face from his eyes. He looked like a deadly corpse from an old tomb. Neither her nor Kartsu moved for several moments. Then, she broke down crying.

"Kartsu... why? Y-y--... YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO KILL HIM!!" She was on her knees, crying deeply into her hands as though he had just shot her rather than James. "You didn't.... you just couldn't.... HOW COULD YOU??" She looked up into his eyes, tears streaming down her face. He could not look... he could not stare down into her eyes. Kartsu was unable to answer her. He just stood there, breathing heavily, sweat running down his hands, one still holding his Colt, the other hoistering the .44. Finally, they were snappd out of their misery by the loud beeping of the two-way radio.

"Mr. Kartsu, Meryl! The sandsteamer is moving! Aren't you at the helm? What's going on?"

In that moment, Meryl could feel it - the sandsteamer really -was- moving. Panicking, she stored her dead feelings away for a little while as she turned to the controls. She could immediatly tell that something was wrong - everything was haywire. She turned to Kartsu, who was still standing over James' corpse, still holding his Colt.

"Kartsu?! Kartsu!! I need some help over here!"

But Kartsu was not listening. He was staring into space, a look of tragedy and chaos in his eyes. It was like he was lost in his own dream - his hands began trembling, his eyes soon swelling up with tears. He dropped to the ground, his Colt falling with a **CLUNK** shortly after he did. His trembling hands then grabbed his face, covering every one of his masculine features.

"I've become... just like him............ just like.... him... all over again..... again..."

Meryl bit her lip. She had no idea what to do in this type of situation. After several indecisive moments, she walked over to Kartsu and gave him a warm, comforting feel. "It's all right..." Then, she unhooked the two-way radio from his waist and contacted Millie. "Millie, this thing's out of control! How fast are we moving?"

"Ummm... looks about 20 iles and increasing! What are you going to do?" Millie had a tone of discomfort in her voice.

"We'll jump out before it hits 50! Keep counting for us, Millie, or it'll be over for all of us!" She looked over at Kartsu, still crying and mumbling to himself, while Millie's voice jumped her back to reality. "Ok!"

Meryl walked over to Kartsu uncertainly, still unsure about what to do. Finally, she placed an arm around him and heaved him up. "It'll be alright, Kartsu... we've got to go. Come on..."

Kartsu's hand grabbed Meryl's shoulder, and he continued to cry. "I can't be like... like him..... again.... him.... like him... all over..." He looked into her eyes, and spoke of only one word now, faintly at first but slowly growing louder. "Kalabis... Kalabis..."

_Damn, this'll be hard to do without killing him,_ Meryl thought. "But regardless, I've got to try!" With that, she pulled him up to the deck, watching as the sandsteamer picked up speed and crashed through the city's broken dome houses as people scurried to get out of the way. Meryl felt pangs of nostalgia, remembering all that Vash had done. No, don't think about him.... we must survive. She jumped.

Mini-Chapter: Flashback 

Kartsu's mind flashed back to a memory he wished he could forget. In it, he was standing in the middle of a lonely desert, standing back-to-back with a tall, handsome man with beautiful orange eyebrows and orange-dyed hair hidden underneath a cloak of black. He was wearing long boots and holding a Silver Colt in his hand, aiming outward towards the army of men coming towards them. Kartsu, also hidden under his sullen cloak of black, was pointing his Golden Colt outwards towards the army. Soon, the man spoke.

"Ready to play with the sharks, Kartsu, ol' buddy?"

Kartsu was overcome with a grin of benevolence as he replied to his partner, "Indeed, Demonte... indeed."

The battle began. Both men moved with an uttmost speed, firing bullet after long-lasting bullet at the armies coming towards them. Ten men were dead with six bullets. Each then popped out the dead bullets and replaced them with new ones, and the battle continued. Man after man fell to their speed and accuracy. Countless drops of blood was poring down their bodies and from out of their wounds as the battle raged on. Within five minutes, everyone was dead, except for the duo of sharpshooters. Breathing heavily, they came back together, each grinning.

"Did you have fun, Kartsu? I imagine having this much fun is a rarity these days, eh?"

But Kartsu was not really happy. He knew that it was a necessity to kill on this planet to stay alive, but he didn't want to kill... his fate had been tied to it. He stared down Demonte with a look of hatred on his face. "Do you think I like to kill? You know better, dammit!"

Demonte's face fell. Slowly, he reached a point of anger. "You know, I recall I'm the one who got your sorry ass out of a large amount of predicaments, and -this- is how you repay me?? **Do I get no gratitude???**"

Demonte pulled his arm up, pointing the Silver Colt at his partner. "You put this upon yourself, Kartsu. Let it be known now who is the master of the Colts of Gunsmoke. NOW, DIE!!"

**BLAM. BLAM. BLAM.**

Mini-Chapter: Mistrusted Friend 

Kartsu was suddenly yanked out of his memory by the sound of Millie's fearful voice. "Kartsu! Kartsu!!"

He opened his eyes and looked around. His head was resting in Millie's lap, and judging by all the bouncing, Meryl had found a jeep of some sort and was now getting them out of Domastoc. He felt a jolt of emptiness and sat up, looking around. "My Colt! What the hell happened to my Colt??"

"It's nice to see you too, Kartsu." Meryl looked at him from behind the wheel, her eyes set in their usual mood again. She reached into the front seat and grabbed something - with a pang of relief, Kartsu realized it was his Golden Colt. He felt an immediate rush of gratitude towards Meryl, grasping the handle of his Colt and hoistering it. "Thank you... thank you so much."

Meryl waved it away with a swipe of her hand. "It's no big deal. But I think you should start explaining yourself. Something else happened in your past that's bothering you... I can tell. So clam up - what's wrong?" She looked back into his eyes, touching his soul with a look of... pure love? "We can't help you if you don't tell us....."

Kartsu gave a heaving sigh, sitting back into the seat, trying hard not to think about it. But he'd have to... to tell them what happened. "Alright, I'll tell you......" He gave another sigh and began.

"I stayed at my mother's for a few months, and then decided to head out to find a way to live - I couldn't stay at my mom's forever. So, I left. I traveled... must've been 800 iles or so, crossing town to town, even traversing Teardrop, the underground territory, looking for work. But no one was looking for a gunman, no matter how far I traveled. I finally stopped to rest at a saloon. That's when I met... _him_."

Meryl looked confused. She looked back as they hit another large rock on the path. "Him? Who are you talking about?"

"His name was... Demonte Kalabis. He sat down at the table and layed out five cards. He then asked me to choose a card and then guess its suit. I guessed right, and he sat down and introduced himself. We chatted each other out, talking about our lives, about the world, about sports... we became fast friends. It was almost magical. Turned out, he was an ace bounty hunter looking for a partner. As I needed a job, I agreed to help him. But, as it turns out, he was a bounty -head-, not a bounty hunter. We were eventually tracked down, and I... was forced to kill innocent men. I felt the pain of every person who died that day as I pulled the trigger... reloaded again and again. But when they were all dead, I told Demonte that I didn't want to kill anymore... and he turned his gun...... on me."

Meryl and Millie both gasped. They hit another bump, and Kartsu continued.

"He didn't kill me, thank God - our bond of friendship was too strong for that. But he shot my left leg thrice... I was forced to curl up, alone, as the Silver Colt rode away. It seemed like hours... and then... a wandering stranger helped me. That was about six months ago. Since then, I realized how dangerous the world and the Bad Lads were becoming, so I hid away with my mom. She gave me that prophecy, the very same one you heard at the Marlon Barrel. Then, you contacted us, and we knew it was time."

"Time? Time for what?" Meryl seemed rather freaked out about this information. She was also trying to find a way to get above ground. Kartsu sighed deeply. "I can't tell you that. For one thing, I have no idea. For another, my mom told me it was an important detail that no one really could know about at all. But, well... you know what happens next."

"So... what now?" After hearing all this, Meryl wasn't really sure what they could do now. It seemed Kartsu's past was just as daunting as Vash's was. Even if they could resist, there was no way of doing anything right as long as their ace gunman was distracted with his memories.

"Let's head to Tonin Town. We'll discuss more about our plans once we're there."

Meryl's mind was racing just as fast as the jeep was. _Man, this is intense. Kartsu's seen almost as much as Vash has, and twice as much angst. This must be really sad for him... I really don't know what to do._

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So here we go. The story's now in full swing. I've also decided to write my stories with this style (Main Chapter Titles with Mini-Chapters included to make up the whole freakin' Chapter). So, cheers to a great story! Be sure to review!

-Spike (In the end, it doesn't even matter.)


	9. Bloodshed of Love & Peace

Trigun

Dragon's Breath

Written by: Spike Spiccardo (nope, don't own)

For the love of God, what's going on? Someone else besides BLD must be reading this story...!

_"There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface..._

_Consuming... confusing..._

_This lack of self-control I fear is never ending..._

_Controlling... I can't seem..._

_To find myself again... my walls are closing in..."_

-Linkin Park, from the song 'Crawling'

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The trio had finally found an elevator, which would take them back up to the surface, about a yar away from Tonim Town. As they walked again amongst the sand-induced planet, Meryl's brain was still turning over the story Kartsu had told them.

_So, what's he going to do now? I wonder sometimes... was it really worth meeting Vash the Stampede? His curse must be contagious..._

"You OK?" A low and strangely calm voice spoke to her. Looking up, Meryl saw Kartsu next to her, walking at her pace, a look of sympathy on his face. For the first time, Meryl felt like Kartsu was actually a person - not just a mindless bodyguard he had been before.

"Yes, I'm fine." They both smiled, and Kartsu walked ahead, where Milly was still enthusiastically skipping forward. Soon, they had reached the town, and Meryl immediately made the observation - "No one's here. This place is deserted!"

Indeed it was, though it seemed that something major had happened out here. The posters - mostly all of them, anyways - were pulled down. Most of them, Kartsu observed, were wanted posters of Vash. Each building's windows had been shot out completely, leaving no glass behind. In the center of town, on a horrid pedestal and written in blood, was one word: KNIVES. Meryl shivered when she spotted it.

"I hate this place... it brings back such horrible memories of the past. Why are we here, anyways, Kartsu?"

Meryl suddenly wished she hadn't asked. A horrid, familiar voice spoke behind them. "Why, because I invited you here, all of you... so you could witness the death of Kartsu Gevan, ex-Bad Lad and assassin of BDN!"

A gunshot was heard... in an instant, Kartsu had pulled both Meryl and Millie into a building. Without explanation, he threw them behind the bar (they had dashed into a saloon... sheesh, what luck) and said, "Don't move!!" Running back outside, Kartsu pulled out his Golden Colt and wielded it as though it were a sword. Demonte Kalabis was laughing with such glee.

"So, you finally come out to play, eh, Gevan? Do you really want to do this... after all I've done for you? Heh heh heh... of course you don't. Which is why you will die right here!!"

Another gunshot was heard, but it wasn't from Demonte - a bristle of wind passed through his hair, shaving off only a few pieces and narrowly avoiding his skull. Purified anger rose in Demonte's face.

"You bastard! You heartless, ungrateful little bastard!"

It began. Kartsu was dashing backwards, firing shot after shot and dodging Demonte's shots as well. Demonte continued to chase him. The missed shots passed through every building, out the other end, and even through the word KNIVES. Neither let up until the clips went empty. Diving behind cover, the two of them reloaded, and the fight continued.

Sweat soon appeared on Kartsu's face. He was a skilled gunman, sure, but he couldn't keep this battle up forever. He could already feel the twin suns dropping out behind the planet, betraying him the light he required. It was only then that the shadows located him an alleyway which could serve as a hiding place for a short amount of time, at least until he could recover. He made a swift pivot out from the KNIVES marking and dashed for the alleyway. But Demonte cut him off as though he were merely jogging with his dog. Moments passed, and Kartsu still didn't know what had happened. What he did know was that a gigantic gun barrel was pointed directly at his forehead, the cold metal burning off his skin and sweat.

"You know I don't want to kill you, Kartsu… but it's not a choice I have to make."

Meryl had now bit her lip so hard it was bleeding. _But you DO have a choice!_

"No, I don't!" Demonte had pulled a flashy, golden gun from his pocket and was now pointing it towards the window of the saloon where Meryl and Milly now stood.

"I don't have a damn choice! If you only knew what he was doing to me…!"

"He? He, who?" _Is this the reason he came after us?_

But Meryl couldn't think anymore. In fact, she had now found it difficult to breathe. Milly suddenly gasped, and now she had a good idea as to why – blood was now trickling from her chest, from the bullet-hole that Demonte had just placed. The bullet was working rather quickly – Meryl had but a few last words.

"I… can't believe… he's not here… to see…"

Milly, tears flying down her face, felt Meryl's hand suddenly harden and become cold, like the icy breath of winter.

"You… heartless… cold-blooded… BASTARD!"

Every emotion, every sense of thought Milly had had over the past week and a half finally erupted. One motion, and the Cross Punisher was unloaded. Another motion, and she was flying down the sandy road towards where Kartsu stood at gunpoint, awaiting his doom.

But it never came. Because Demonte decided to waste ANOTHER golden bullet on an innocent bystander. Milly, too, fell to the ground, icing up against the hot sands of the planet. Kartsu could feel his rage ready to explode to either his mouth or his gun, and he didn't' care which. _That bastard…! They didn't even do anything, and he killed them! Bloodshed… tears… and another faceless memory of mine… this isn't how it was supposed to be!_

Suddenly, from afar, a few warning gunshots could be heard. To Kartsu, it just seemed like any ol' executioner's gun, but Demonte seemed to be fearful of it, because he turned tail and ran, leaving no trace of himself. He did, however, drop a note, which Kartsu eagerly picked up.

_To Kartsu,_

_I've killed your friends, and if you don't believe in the deaths of innocents anymore, you'll be joining them. I'll be waiting for you at the ruins of July City. –Demonte_

Kartsu clenched the note so tightly in his hand that his fingernails ripped open blood blotches onto his clothes. The once-proud bodyguard of two lovely women was now a man of rage and fear, plummeting into another shadow of a past.

"Damn you, Demonte… after all we'd been through, you decide to come back and screw with me once more! That's twice now that you have tried to take my life… and I swear, upon Meryl and Milly's bloodied bodies, that THERE WON'T BE A THIRD!!"

With a last, longing look at Tonim Town, the city where two valiant heroines had fallen victim to a vicious wolf, Kartsu Gevan dashed off into the dusky, tan sunset of a looming, perilous night.

-Spike-


	10. Cry For Blood

Trigun

Dragon's Breath

Written by: Spike Spiccardo (Insert random message about not owning Trigun or any Linkin Park song here)

_"I am – a little bit of loneliness;_

_A little bit of disregard,_

_Handful of complaints, but I can't help the fact_

_That everyone can see these scars-_

_I am – what I want you to want,_

_What I want you to feel, but it's like_

_No matter what I do, I can't convince you_

_To just believe this is real – so_

_I let go – watching you –_

_Turn your back like you always do –_

_Face away and pretend that I'm not,_

_But I'll be here, 'cause you're all I got-"_

-Linkin Park, from the song 'Faint'

Chapter 10: Cry For Blood 

(Due to technical problems, this first sentence won't appear italicized. Just know that it's Vash the Stampede thinking.)

It was daytime. The burning twin suns of the east were now settled upon the horizon. I had sat here throughout the night, trying to remember her heartbeat, but it wasn't working. I had nothing left for me anymore, nothing left to do. A natural force – one that I was forced to use in self-defense each and every day – has now taken that which I loved the most.

Vash's tears had long since dried up in the heat of the noon. A large, gaping hole now lay upon the earth, right next to Knives' podium of hell. Within it, Vash had placed his red geranium coat down upon the bodies of Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson, whose faces were still veiled with the shock of the bullets that had brought them to their fates. His fingers trembled as he began dumping the dirt and sand upon their bodies. The storms will soon swallow their gravesite up, and no one will ever know they were here, save for the gravestone which now stood erect on the near edge of the podium.

In Memory of Meryl Strife, Honored Member of the Bernardeli Insurance Company, and her Esteemed partner Milly Thompson, intriguing naturalist and undeniable friend. Rest in peace.

No one will know their names anymore, except for the two men who believed.

Kartsu had long since left Tonim Town, but he was still nowhere near July – in his unsatisfied yearning for Demonte's blood, he had forgotten all about how he expected to actually REACH July. Within a few hours, he was exhausted, dehydrated, and anxious for any signs of life in this barren wasteland he was now lost in. But he knew no one would come. They were all safely tucked in to their houses, or else doing chores, or out for a drink at the salon. There was no one left who could save him.

"So… is this… truly the end…?" And then he knew no more.

"Is he alive?"

"I dunno. Should we check?"

"Perhaps he is still alive, and he's faking it?"

"Nah, it couldn't be. Check his pulse!"

The coldness of the hand… the smell of smoke and breath… a warm face reaching close… Kartsu slowly pulled his lids up to allow light to his eyes. He could see now the faint outline of a woman, hardly over 21, feeling up his pulse. He tried to push her away, but his whole body felt fatigued, as if he'd just climbed a giant obstacle and thought he'd never make it. He now shifted his eye over the woman's shoulder and spotted two other people with her – men, judging by the previous voices. A dim light and a soft breeze came from above; a simple guess told him they were in a salon. But which town was he in?

"Lie still, sir. You'll be just fine if you just relax for a moment. That was quite a place to be stranded in, ya know! All the way out in the middle of the Reharo Desert… you MUST be exhausted!"

"Re… Rehar… Reharo…?" It was painful to speak, so he decided against it unless absolutely necessary.

"Yeah, the Reharo Desert. It's one of the more dangerous forks of land on Gunsmoke. Like I said, you're lucky to be alive. Though, if not for this kind of weaponry-" She flashed him his Colt, the golden flesh reveling in his eyes for a moment. "-We'd of thought you were some weakling on vacation who'd lost everything he owned!"

Kartsu's body now felt well enough to sit up. He felt around his body and realized they hadn't stripped him. They had merely removed his .44 and Golden Colt. His head was pounding into desertion with such anger that he put a hand up to his temple just to relax it. He chose his next words very carefully.

"What… town…?"

The woman giggled. "We're on the edge of the Reharo Desert, right here in good ol' Reharo Town! If you need any more reference, we're about… oh, 200 iles from the nearest major city… which happens to be the ruins of July. Shame what happened to it – I'm surprised no one's tried to build it up again! Maybe the fear of Vash the Stampede still lingers, even to this day."

One of the men now spoke up. "Perhaps we should not speak more of it until we know his name."

An expected question, he thought. "Kartsu… Kartsu Gevan. And who… in the hell… might all of you… be…?"

The woman flashed a smile of brilliance. "My name is Blistra Gahero, and these are my comrades-in-arms, Maro and Daro Gahero. As you can tell, we're of the same family of outlaws."

This is… too much for me… What am I doing here? I should be in July… Demonte… and his… but I…

Kartsu's thinking soon becomes too jumbled, and he fainted once more. Blistra stared for a second, then shrugged.

"Maybe the stress was too much for him. Let's just lock him up in one of the rooms, and we'll question him later."

As Maro and Daro took Kartsu's limp body into another room, Blistra's thinking turned to his marksmanship. _Perhaps he could be of some use to us. I won't be overtaken again by those bloody packrats, not if my life depends on it… which, by the way, it does!!_

Vash's tears had now dried. He realized that he could not stay in mourning for much longer. He realized that the world was now changing, and he was to be a major part in this play. Glasses on, hair now returned to its original shape, a spare red coat, which he had sewn himself, now borne proudly on his body, and a shining piece of metal slung into his pocket. Vash the Stampede now stood upon one of the last buildings of Tonim Town, staring into the nothingness of the sunset.

"I'll swear to all of you whom I have failed – I will not let this happen again. Everyone I meet finds an endless fate, all because of me… And I can't let that happen again. Kartsu is the last person alive that I know will not meet a sad end… and I shall not fail him, even if it means taking my own life in the hands of a madman!" His eyes widen at his own vow. _Am I really able to go through with such a thing? Can I do this without becoming like him? I want to be free from this energy… I want to live in a peaceful world… but where can I find Eden among all this… raging, burning Hell?_

And then he remembered…

"Er time ago, an age of destruction. The deeds of this man could not be undone. Through ice and fire, he survived the fall. But his greatest challenge will soon come to call. To those he meets, he is naught but death. But his journey will end on the dragon's last breath."

The words of the fortuneteller now rest on their lips. Vash, Kartsu, Demonte, and one more yet who has now heard this prophesy. Four men whose fate now rests in their choices, one thought left that won't be denied – will I be enough to rescue my own destiny?

-Spike-


	11. Chemical Tears

Trigun

Dragon's Breath

Written by: Spike Spiccardo (nope, still don't own)

"We're all out of time, this is how we find out it all unwinds 

_(The sacrifice of hiding in a lie…)_

_We're all out of time, this is how we find out it all unwinds_

_(The sacrifice is never knowing…)_

_Why I never walked away, why I played myself this way,_

_Now I see – your testing me – pushes me away…_

_Why I never walked away, why I played myself this way,_

_Now I see – your testing me – pushes me away…"_

-Linkin Park, from the song 'Pushing Me Away'

A/N: This story is taking a turn towards the right direction now, and I'm not gonna stop posting chapters until it's complete.

**…Chapter 11: Chemical Tears…**

Kartsu lay upon the salon's bed, turning over the last half-hour and his conversation with Blistra.

It just doesn't make sense… I should've been killed out there in that desert… and what does this girl really want from me? If she didn't want me, she could've killed me… It just doesn't make sense anymore…

Suddenly, Daro popped his head into the room to check on his prisoner's conscious status.

"Everything OK, chief? Blistra's prepared to talk to you, so you better be ready!"

Kartsu cast a weary nod in Daro's direction. Content, he closed the door once more, letting the creek in the hinge resonate throughout the salon. It was unbearable to be here anymore. He had to get out… Suddenly, the door creaked open again, and the woman from before came into vision.

"So… Kartsu Gevan, was it? What was it that brought you all the way out to the Reharo Desert? Business, perhaps?"

Kartsu's head stopped spinning just long enough for him to answer. "It's personal. If I told you, I'd probably kill the pair of us afterward."

Was that recognition on her face? Perhaps he had imagined it. In any case, it was gone the next second, and she plowed on. "Just how good is your marksmanship?"

"What do you mean? I use that gun only for self-defense." _That's right, old boy – keep her talking, make sure you don't have to answer. Unless, of course, she already knows the secrets of the Golden Colt, she'll never be able to get me to talk. No sir, no Gevan in history has spilled his guts._

"Don't play innocent games with me. You're the legendary Golden Colt – the one from the songs. You MUST be him – no one else carries a gun like _this_ anymore." As she said this, her hands flung Kartsu's Colt back to him in a flare of brilliance that blinded the both of them for a moment. Kartsu neatly brought the gun to a halt in his hand, and then sheathed it as though he were cracking eggs into a frying pan. He was smiling the whole time.

"So, you know the stories about me and my endless 'good' deeds?"

_Tch, what a smug little face. If he weren't so famous, I'd probably pop his giant nose open right now._ "I never suspected for a moment that your deeds were 'good', Mr. Colt. I just said you have quite a few songs about you. Probably written by terrified enemies with nothing to do since you 'educated' them." An exasperated sigh emerged from her. "But that's not the point. I desperately need someone like you on our side. It's important…"

She bit her lip – _hard._ Kartsu was at first confused, then worried, then outright confused again. "So… you mind telling me why you've taken up residence in a place with only similar relation to your name?" _I mean, how does she expect to help me if I don't know her back-story?_

Blistra plopped down next to where Kartsu lay, shifting him over ever so slightly so that she had some butt-room. Another exasperated sigh escaped her grasp, and then she began. "The whole thing started about a year ago, shortly after the terror of Vash the Stampede had subsided. I was headed home to December for a short visit with my family. When I got there, however, the entire block where my family lived was annihilated. I'll never forget it… my family's bodies laying there, sullied in their own blood… and the note that was left behind…" 

Blistra began to weep silently, and Kartsu, not knowing what to do, let her mourn for a moment. Then he jumped her again. "So… the note… what did it say?"

She pulled an envelope from her back pocket and tossed it to him. Kartsu unraveled the letter and read:

My dearest Blistra Gahero:

_You were always denying me, even when we were near. So, here's your punishment. Remember your old friends, the Reharo family? Well, I've 'extended their family' and given them a few toys to play with. Don't you dare flee again, my love. Meet me at the sacred ruins of July, or suffer the same fate as your family._

_Oh, and your lovely buffoons, Maro and Daro are invited as well. Hope to see you soon,_

The signature was indiscernible, and so it took Kartsu a moment to register the note's contents. Suddenly, he sat up, a look of terror on his face, his eyes concentrated on one word: _July. The old ruins of July. That's where that bastard, Demonte, is. That's where…_ "Blistra, do you know what that signature is? Whom does that signature belong to??"

She looked at him with a look that said "You are absolutely strange" but she responded, "I don't remember it clearly but…" Another sniffle… and then…

"The signature… is Knives Million. He's been trying to make me his lover for a year now."

Knives… oh, shit… 

"Gah, bloody hell! What is this lonely traveler supposed to do??!? No food, no money, and NO WATER?? WHERE DID ALL MY WATER GO??"

Vash's morale, low as it was in Tonim Town, had now reached an all-time low. He had been wondering around the very same desert as Kartsu for almost twice as long as he had. The twin suns were burning holes into Vash's jacket, as if he were some little ant that the two wanted to rot and burn. Vash's boot took one last step, and then he faded into darkness.

When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself surrounded by a bunch of men… wearing eye patches… and capes. They also had very smug looks on their faces, as if they knew something that he didn't. As Vash sat up, rubbing his head from its impact on the sand, he heard one of the men come forth. He must've been the leader, as his eye patch was of a different color than the others. _What a strange way to distinguish leadership… but whatever floats your boat, I guess._ "Hiya, fellas! What's the word?"

"Well… I didn't realize that Vash the Stampede could be so… _entertaining…"_ The man's voice was rather hoarse, as if it hadn't had water for days. His smile revealed several golden teeth, and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of the conversation.

"Well, if that's all you guys need from me, then I really ought to be going… heh…!"

But the man stomped his foot down onto the floor – hard, wooden planks, Vash observed. "You won't be going anywhere, mate… not until we've questioned you a bit further…"

The men began to laugh as huge beads of sweat covered Vash's face. _Whoever these men are, and whatever the hell they want from me, don't really matter. I know now for a fact that this won't end well at all!!_

A young, handsome-looking man stood on the forked hill of the Reharo Desert, observing the town below. His narrow, greedy eyes were focusing first on the Salon, then on the abandoned windmill in the distance. His hands were clasped together, the same greed that emitted from his eyes also emitting from them.

My master plan is already in motion… from here on out, it'll be best to let Nature take its course… With both of those buffoons locked in battle against each other, they'll easily wipe themselves out, and then I'll take care of my precious pet, Demonte. Soon, my dear brother, I shall bring about the end of Gunsmoke as we know it, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me! Let the Million Knives Revolution begin at last!!

-Spike Spiccardo- 


End file.
